Kontra
German: "Kontra" — contra/against; the defenders countering the declaration
Definition
The Schafkopf term for doubling the stakes after a player declares a game, analogous to a Crack in Sheepshead. A subsequent doubling by the declaring side is called "Re" (re-double), matching the Re-crack.
Kontra in play
In Bavarian Schafkopf, once a player announces a game the defenders may call 'Kontra' before the first card is led, doubling the stakes and signaling confidence they can hold the declarer under 61. The declaring side can answer with 'Re,' and depending on house rules further escalations ('Supra,' 'Resupra') keep doubling. American Sheepshead inherited this exact pattern under the homier names crack and re-crack, so a Wisconsin player who cracks is doing what a Bavarian player does when shouting Kontra.
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Related Terms
Crack (Doubling)
A variant where defenders can "crack" to double the stakes after someone picks. The picker can then "re-crack" to double again.
Re-crack
When the picker doubles the stakes again after a defender has cracked. Results in 4x the normal stakes.
Schafkopf
The German ancestor of Sheepshead, originating in Bavaria in the 1700s. The name likely refers to playing on a barrel head ("Schaff" = barrel, "Kopf" = head), though it's often translated as "sheep's head."